ChrisC1955

Hi all.
I will be marrying my Malaysian Muslim girlfriend in the UK in a civil ceremony. Will our marriage be recognised on registration in Malaysia?
I do not intend to convert to Islam.
Do the Malaysian authorities recognise mixed religion marriages when they are solemnised overseas?
Thanks for help.

Gunnar45

I don't think that such a marriage would be approved/recognized in Malaysia and your prospective wife may also end up in trouble in Malaysia if you go through with your plans.
This because in Islam, muslim women are prohibited from marrying men from other religions.
I know a number of originally non-muslim men who have converted to Islam for the sake of marriage and also some who haven't. The latter have however not registered their marriage in Malaysia.
I also know some non-Malaysian muslim women who married non-Malaysian, non-muslim men who keep their marriage secret here to the extent that the wife is not included in the husbands MM2H visa!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interf...riage_in_Islam
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedo...on_in_Malaysia

ChrisC1955

Gunnar45. Thanks for your answer.
Do foreign marriages have to be registered in Malaysia? And are there penalties for not doing so?
Would the religious structure apply if the woman were Moslem but not a Malaysian citizen?

Gunnar45

I don't think you can register the marriage in Malaysia as the marriage between a Malaysian muslim woman and a non-muslim man would not be recognized in Malaysia ad may even create problems for the muslim woman.
Regarding non-Malaysian citizens, I assume that in general the rules about interfaith marriages would apply also for them.

As this is a sensitive issue I would suggest that you follow the links I sent to you and draw your own conclusions.

ChrisC1955

Thank you.

SushiFan

Have you asked the Malaysian embassy in the UK about this? I guess that they would know the Malaysian laws covering this.

Macsta

Hi Gunnar, how does that work, do the wives leave the country every three months? Also are they not disadvantaged if the husband passed away and any Malaysian assets remain.

Hovite

This might also be of interest - https://www.lawyerment.com/library/k...riage/1025.htm
My wife and I had to register our marriage in Malaysia to that I could apply for a LTSVP. It was a painful process - we should have done it at the High Commission before we left. My wife is not a muslim so not relevant to your case. We did not have to pay the fine because we married in 1978 before the requirement to register was introduced (in 1982 I think?).

ChrisC1955

Thanks SushiFan. Lots to think about.

Gunnar45

Macsta,
In this particular case, the wife not having a MM2H visa only stays the duration allowed for a visitor.
Regarding disadvantages for inheritance etc I don't know.
But it depends of course also on who owns the Malaysian assets.

IanBlakeley

My wife is Malaysian but not a muslim. We registered our UK marriage at the embassy in London, I think you have 2 years to do so before it starts incurring a fine. It takes a while because as well as all the identifying paperwork there's pictures to be taken at the embassy to the Malaysian documentation requirements so get there early as their opening hours are not a full day and it can get busy. At the end of the process we had an additional 2 Malaysian marriage certificates, I cannot recall the cost but wasn't huge, the train fare to London was the painful bit.

Having already obtained the Malaysian certificates made the LTSVP pass easier. As others have pointed out that your wife to be is a Muslim means you need to take some more advice on the legalities.

ChrisC1955

Thanks. I think we’ve decided on our course of action.

IndoTom

There have been several good answers to your questions so I won't add anything more to them. But I should mention a few things of relevance which is best done before you proceed with marriage.

Marrying a Muslim woman by a non-Muslim man is not just prohibited in Malaysia but actually prohibited by the Islamic religion itself, Quran 60-10. This issue is what will probably cause both of you the most problems. The number of problems is too long to discuss now but just be aware they will eventually manifest themselves. The BIGGEST one I will mention is your wife may realize the prohibition at some point in her life as people tend to reflect on their faith later in life and demand you convert or divorce. So it's best to have a fact finding discussion with your future wife about this now.

ChrisC1955

Thanks IndoTom. We’ve discussed things and decided on what to do.

OriginalSunshine

For those who come looking afterwards, given that a lot have shared their thoughts, will you share what you are going to do?